STA gives college students a lift

With the cost of tuition, books and fees, many college students can use any kind of savings they can get. And some are now taking advantage of a new Spokane Transit Authority discounted student pass program.

Just two months old, the student passes attracted 517 buyers in February, up from 427 in January.

The goal is to increase bus ridership, said STA spokeswoman Molly Myers.

“It’s a huge untapped market,” Myers said.

Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College students have made the bulk of the purchases so far, buying all but 28 of February’s student passes.

“It’s a huge difference, especially for those of us who don’t want to drive our cars,” said SFCC student Chris Park of his $20 pass.

The old college pass program forced students to purchase a three-month pass for $84 – just $5 less than the price of buying three adult monthly passes. Now, the student passes range in price from $11 to $26 a month.

STA discounts the passes to the $26 level using state grant money, and then individual institutions have the option of discounting them further with their own funds.

The community colleges began promoting the passes in December, said Rich Tucker, SFCC’s associate dean for student-funded programs. Increased service to the campus and the low student pass price have been key selling points.

“You just can’t drive your car for that,” Tucker said.

Interface Computer School, Whitworth University, the Institute for Extended Learning and Washington State University joined in January. Gonzaga offers the passes starting this month.

WSU has the most deeply discounted student pass – $11 – but it hasn’t caught on yet. Seven were sold in February compared to two in January.

The increase in student pass sales hasn’t negatively impacted full-price adult pass sales, which grew 6 percent in January compared to January 2005.